<VV> Whatever happened to the prototype modern fan (plastic?)

[hugo at aruncoaches.co.uk]

Well, commercial heavy trucks have plastic radiator fans, and they seem 
to work without falling to bits ;)


On 2018-02-02 17:08, kevin nash via VirtualVairs wrote:
> Yes it is feasible to make this fan from plastic to keep the weight
> down... it is seriously difficult though to
>
> make the thing stiff enough from plastic and or glass reinforced
> plastic and keep the weight down. Even fairly thick sections made 
> from
> G10 (fiberglass reinforced epoxy) don't seem nearly as stiff as the
> skinny
>
> .08-.06" thick blades on the magnesium fan. The original Delrin fan
> turned out a bit heavier than the mag fan did, and one of the few
> delrin fans that I've heard of that was actually used had cracks in 
> it
> after 12000
>
> miles, indicating that it wasn't even close to being stiff enough for
> long term use, and would have needed to be thicker and heavier than 
> it
> was . The more I've looked into it, the less attractive plastic
> anything starts looking for a fan like mine- nobody will want
> something like this if they have a nasty habit of grenading after a
> few years of sun, heat cycling, moisture and rpms take their toll...
> even if they didn't weigh anything! Besides that, this fan is going 
> to
> need to be geared down for most cars, and that is a much better way 
> to
> deal with fan weight.
>
> Kevin Nash
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